Highway guard fence



May 6 1924.

G. VAN EPPS HIGHWAY GUARD FENCE Filed Aug. 28 L fhvE'nzar" VA.

Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED, STATES PATENT caries.

G-EQRGE VAN "EPPS, OF WESTBBOOK; GONNEGTICUT:

HIGHWAY GUARD amen Application filed August 28, 1922. Serial 1T0. 584,827.

after the manner of such fences as are now in conimon use, and, furthermore, that by reason of certain special features of construction and arrangement 0 crates in the case of automobile traflic w erein contact with the fence may occur so that dam e either to the fence or the automobile will be avoided generally and to a relatively large extent, so that in the majority of instances of collision there would be no serious results whatsoever.

In the accompanying: drawing Figure 1 is a front; elevation of a section of fence involving my invention, the top line of the highway belng indicated by a full line.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, the top rail being in part broken away to show the lower guard rail.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation showing the lower portion of the fence structure and also the outlineof the front wheel of an automobile in contact themwith, the outline of the hub structure of the wheel being also indicated.

Figure t is a plan view of the same.

Figure 5 is a plan view in diagrammatic form, with the angles and dimensions exaggerated, of the lower guard rail structure and the supporting posts.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 2.

' My improved highway guard fence comprises posts 10 that are set up at spaced intervals along the traveled portion 11 of the highway, said posts 10 being surmounted by a top rail 12 of any suitable form and being cross-connected adjacent the top line or face 13 of said traveled portion 11 of the highway by means of the lower guard rail structure 14, the latter being constructed and arranged after a special manner to described. 7

My lmproved fence corresponds in certain features and in certain dimensions to fences in common use. Thus the. posts 10 may be about eight inches in diameter; the to rail 12 may be formed of a single piece of material having a cross-section of two inchesby six inches; the height may be three feet; and the spacing of the posts; 10 may be seven feet and eight inches between centers.

The lower guard rail structure 14.- is a composite structure, made up of a pluralit of similar elements 15 each of WhlCh is in the form of a piece of timber or planking of suitable size. Thus the timbers 15 may be about sixteen feet long and the crosssection may be two inches by four inches or two inches by six inches. 1

The timbers 15, as described, are of proper length to an two open spaces or gaps 16 betw n a jacent posts 10 and to cooperate wit and be supported by three posts. As shown, the end ortions 17 of a timber piece 15 are 0 eachto a post 10 an the middle or body portion 18 thereof is also opposed to and secured to a post 10. x I

.The operation of my improved fence is based upon the fact'collision contact with pc to and secured the fence will usuaily' be made by the front wheel 19 of the automobile with the lower guard rail structure 14- and the construction and arrangement of said lower guard rail structure 14 are based u on this feature. Also, as a detail, the mature of the disposition ofthe' traflic relatively to the direction is involved for obtaining the full efliciency of the device.

In the structure'shown, the lines or lanes of traflic are understood to be on the right sides of the highway, to'correspond to the rule of the road for passing on the right, wherefore, collision contact will in most cases take place on the right side of the automobile, the right front wheel 19 making the first contact.

My power guard rail 14 tends in such cases to direct the wheel 19 away from the fence towards the middle of the road, and does this by reason of the angular disposition of the individual rails 15 and the fact that they are positioned at a relatively low way, which elevation may be about ten inches.

Thus the hub structure 20 of the wheel 19 will be appreciably above the top edge 21 of the lower rail structure 14 for automobiles in common use, the clearance being usually two or more inches.

The provision of the particular elevation of the lower guard rail structure 14 isof itself sufficient in many cases of collision to avert seriousconsequences, without the additional feature of the angular arrangement of the rail elements 15.

I find, however, that the angular arrangement to be described can be provided without material increase in the expense, by

reason of the peculiar arrangement of the parts, that I prefer to incorporate this feature generally.

The angular arrangement mentioned is provided for by means of a lapping of the individual rail elements 15 throughout the entire fence structure. Each rail element 15 extends over twospaces 16; is overlapped on one side of its middle portion 18 by the end portion 17 of one rail; and overlaps on the other side of .its middle portion 18 the opposed end portion 17 of a third rail.

Thus considering a set of three posts 10 and numbered 1, 2, and 3 in the proper direction of travel, to each post is secured what may be designated as the inner end portion 17 of a rail member 15, said end portion 17 being directly mounted on the post. The rail member 15 that begins at post 2 extends across the gap 16 between post 2 and post 3 and also across the gap 16 beyond post 3, and by its middle portion 18 overlaps the inner end portion 17 mentioned at post 3. Said middle portion 18 is thus spaced from post 3 by the thickness of the inner end portion 17 and is positioned at an angle to the line of the fence. The angle mentioned is thus determined by the thickness of the intervening inner end portion 17.

The rail element beginning at post 1 overlaps at post 2 the inner end portion 17 that is secured to post2 and continues this particular rail member 15 and terminates with the outer end portion 17 at post 3.

eaose ner end or near end of one, the middle portion of another, and the outer or far end of the third.

Thus only one relatively simple form is required for the rail member 15 for obtaining the superior results of my improved form of fence. I

I claim as my invention 1. In combination, a highway for automobile traflic comprising a traveled roadbed proper and a shoulder portion at one side thereof, and-a guard fence supported by said shoulder portion, said fence comprising posts and a lower guard rail structure supported by said posts, and said guard rail structure being positioned above the surface of said shoulder portion only to such extent that the top edge thereof will be below' the height of the lower face portion of the hub of the wheel of an automobile traveling on said highway.

2. A highway guard fence as described in claim 1, said guard rail structure being composed of rail elements that are arranged individually at an angle to the general line in the fence structure, whereby a wheel contacting therewith will be diverted away from the fence.

3. A highway guard fence comprising a set of posts positioned in spaced relation and a guard rail structure supported by said posts, said guard rail structure being composed of individual rails each of which.

has a length to abridge two adjacent spaces, and said rails being arranged so as to suecessively overlap adjacent and opposed rails, with one end of each on the inner side, in contact with the post, with the middle portion between two individual rails, and with the other end on the outside, spaced from the post by two rails.

enonon VAN EPPS. 

